Amusement apparatus.



H.' E. RIEHL.

AMUSEIVIENT APPARATUS. APPLICATION man 1uLY22. 191e. RENEWED Aue. zaken.

1324936@ Patented 0015, 9, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

HHHH H IMH IHN l! wf@ l H. E. RIEHL.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 1ULY22, i916. RENEWED Aus. 25.1911.

Lf Patented @en 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET. 2.

WITNESSES @MKM , H. E.. RIEHL. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS. APPLICATIONFILEDIIULY22. 1791'6- RENEWED A UG. 2 5.. (1917-.

3,242,865.. Pateytea 0015.9, 1917.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES FFF@ @TAF f HENRY Emana RIEHL, or BnooKLrmNEw Yoan.'

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented cee. e, ieri.

Application filed July 22;, 1916,7Sera1 No. 110,652. Renewed August 25,1917. Serial No. 188,189.

i which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The invention relates to amusement apparatus having passenger carryingvehicles traveling over a prepared course.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved amusementapparatus, more especially designed' for use in pleasure resorts,exhibition grounds, parks and other places and arranged to provide anexhilerating pleasure ride for the passengers and at the same timeenable thev steerer of a car to display skill with a viewy to provideadditional excitement and pleasure.

` In order to 'accomplish the desired result, use is made of a vehicle,a surface for the said vehicle to travel on, an object arranged adjacentthe said surface, a motor fory actuating'the said object, Vandconnecting means on the said surface and connected with the said motor,the said connecting means being adapted tobe lengaged by the saidvehicle to start the motor and-thereby actuate the said object.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying draw ings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

- Figure 1 is a perspective vviewf'of the amusement apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the sameV on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1and' showing more particularly the uptrack;

Fig. .3 is a longitudinal section on-line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and showingmore particularly the inclined surface and the parts to be actuated;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of a car; Y Y

F ig.L 5 is an enlarged cross section of the same on the line -of Fig.4; Y.

Fig: 6 is a similar view of the same on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

c Fig. 7 is a cross section of one of the parts to be actuated and themeans employedV for actuating the object, parts being shown in section;f Y

Fig.` 8 is a sectionalV front vview'of the same together with part ofthe inclined surface provided with contact plates; and

- Fig. 9 is a plan View of the platform end of the amusement apparatus.

On the front end ofthe amusement apparatus is arranged a platform10divided by a railing 11 into an embarkation station 12 and adisembarkation station 13. Steps`14 lead tothe embarkation station 12and steps'k 15 lead from the disembarkation station 13, and a ticketolice 16 is preferably located betweenthe stairs 14 and 15,`as plainlyindicated in Fig. l. Adjacent the inner edge of the platform 10 and adistance below the same is arranged a horizontal 'landing 20 formingpart of an inclined surface 21, of which the upper portion 22 is flatand is permanently mounted on a suitable` framework 23 (see Fig. 3), andthe lower portion is made in sections 24connected with each other andwith the lower end of the flat por-' tion 22 and the landing V2O byhinges 25. The sections 24 are made of sheet metal or other flexiblematerial and are engaged at the underside by suitable jacks 26 forbend-y ing or corrugating the sections 24 to give the v same a wavy.appearance, as will be readily yan endless carrier `chain 3,1 drivenfrom a suitable motor 32, as plainly shown in Fig. 2." The upper end ofthe track 30 leads to a tunnel 33 which opens onto the upper end of thefiat portion 22of the inclined surface 21 at or near the `middlethereof, as plainlyv indicated in Fig. 1.

Cars 40 are adapted to travel from the landing 20 onto the track 30 tobe carried up .the same by the endless chain 31 and to finally passthrough the tunnel 33 onto the upper end of the inclined surface 21 totravel down the same lby its own weight. The car on traveling thecorrugatedy lower portion of the inclined surface follows the curvaturethereof thus providing an exhilarating ride for the occupants of thecar.'

yFlach of the cars 40 is provided with a body 41, preferably given theform of a torpedo, mounted on spaced rear wheels y42 and providedwithgfront steering wheels 43 under the control of the occupant of thefront seat of the body 41 bythe use of a steering wheel to enable suchoccupant to steerthe vehicle down the incliner c surface 2l to thelanding 2O at the disembarkation station 13. The'under side of the 'body'4l is provided with a pivoted plate 4:5 adaptedw to be engaged by atooth on the endless chain 3l to draw the cartO up the inclined track30. Y c

l rlhe inclinedV surface 2l is separated from the track by a wall 50,and-a lsimilar wall 51 is erected on the other side ofthe inclinedsurface 2l. At the upper portion of the inclined surface 2l istherepresenta tionof a fort, as indicated in Fig. l. To

the right of the track 8O and to the leftV of the wall 5l are arranged aseries of movableY objects 60., preferably representationsr ofbattleships, Y as plainly indicated in the drawings. The objects 60 arenormally dormant but are movable and the movement of the objectsiscontrolled by the car 40 during its travel downward on the iia'txupper,portion 22 of the inclined surface 21.

ln the front portion 22 of the inclined surface 2l arev arranged pairsof contacting plates 70, preferably flush with the surface.

vand disposed transversely. The rvpairs of plates 70` ,are spaced apartand the plates of'each pair of plates are spaced aparta@-k cording totherear ywheels 42 of .the car Ll() so that when the car l0 travels downthe flat portion 22 the helmsman ofthe car can steer the same sothatrtherear vwheels 42 simul taneously,makecontact with a pair of contactplates770. The number ofpairs of contact plates 7,0 correspondto thenumber ofY objects l'60, and the pairs of contact plates and the objects areprovided with lcorresponding indicating characters, preferably'numerals, as shown in the drawings, so that the person in ycharge of acar can select any one of the pairs'of plates he desires to 'curednon vacrankshaft 7 Y vjournaled in suitable lixed. bearings T8. TheVcrank'far-m 79 of the crank shaft v77y supports the bottom v of anobject near one end thereof, the

said object being pivoted near its other end on ya suitable shaft 6ljournaled in fixed bearings 62 so that the object y(50 vis free to swingup or down. f

Normally the motors 72 for, the Vseveral objects 60 are not running andVthe objects GOarein uppermostposition. Now in case l For Athis .purposethe following arrangement is made:

the Adownwardly vvtraveling car 40 Vconnects a pair of contact plateswith each other bythe hind kwheels 42' when the circuit 71 is closedandthe motor Y72 is started whereby slow-'rnotien is given tothe-crankshaft 77 wherebythe crank arm 7 9 imparts a downward'swingingmovement to one end of the `object 60 so that the latter kappears* inmo- It will be noticed that incase the objects 60 represent battleshipsit appears toy theonlookers that the ybattleshipV actuated at theV timeis sinking thus heiglitening the effect. rThe wall lris preferably bentkon its inner face to represent waves, as indicated in Fig. 3. y n y n yF rom the foregoing it will be seen that the helmsma-n of a car canyselect the pair .of contact plates vhe desiresto connect bythe rear`wheels of the car sopthat the corresponding object 60 is actuated inthe manner above described, or, in other words, the helmsman can selectthe )battleship he desiresto sink during the desired passage-'of the caron therlat portion 22 of the inclinedY surface 2l. 7 l f l j Itrwillalsobe seen that by; the .arrange-f ment described the passengers'inthecarare not only provided with an exhilarating.V

pleasure ride but atV the same time the helmsman can display skill withYa views to' provide additional excitement by causing one of thevobjectsto be actuated as above explained.

lio

I Vl. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined surface havingelectrical contacts .fixed thereon, a movableobj ect yarranged ad-].acent to Vsaid surface,ele`ctr1cal' connections between said contactsand ob]ect,'a vehi ele adapted to travel down said surface lby its ownweight, said vehicle being also adapted for engagement with saidcontacts,'a motor in Ythe circuit of saidbbject and contacts and adaptedto actuate the object when the circuit is closed, as shown anddescribed. j

2. An amusement apparatus, comprising a wheeled 4vehicle havingsteeringmeans, an inclined snrface for the said vehicle totravel down b'y itsown weight and adapted tobe steered by anoccupant of the vehicle duringthe latters travel down the ysaid inclined suriao iso

face, a series of objects arranged adjacent the said inclined surface,motors for actuating the said objects, and electric circuits for thesaidmotors and having pairs of contact plates on the said inclined surface,the said vehicle forming a circuit closer on simultaneously engaging apair of the said contact plates to close the circuit for thecorresponding motor to start the latter and thereby actuate thecorresponding object.

3. An amusement apparatus, comprising a Wheeled vehicle having steeringmeans, an inclined surface for the said vehicle to travel down by itsown Weight and adapted to be steered by anoccupant of the vehicle duringthe latters travel down the said inclined surface, a. series of objectsarranged adjacent the said inclined surface, motors for actuating ythesaid objects, electric circuits for the said motors and having pairs ofcontact plates on the said inclined surface, the said vehicle forming acircuit closer on simulta neously engaging a pair of the said contactplates to close the circuit for the corresponding motor to start thelatter and thereby actuate the corresponding object, and pairs ofindicating characters, of which one of a pair is associated With a pairof contact plates and the other of this pair is associated with thecorresponding object.

4. An amusement apparatus, comprising a vehicle having connected rearWheels and a front steering Wheel,y an inclined surface for the saidvehicle to travel down by its own gravity and adapted to be steered byan occupant of the vehicle during its down- Ward journey on the inclinedsurface, a series of movable objects arranged adjacent the said inclinedsurface, motors for actuating the said objects, and electric circuitsfor the said motors and each having` a pair oiE contact plates embeddedin the said inclined surface, the said contact plates of a pair beingspaced apart to correspond to the rear wheels of the vehicle whereby thesaid vehicle becomes a circuit closer on the rear Wheels simultaneouslyengaging a pair of contact plates.,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY ELMER RIEHL.

Vitnesses ROBERT lV. SEATON, CHAs. J. GEIsnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

